


What Does Your Heart Want?

by Itsuptomenow



Category: House M.D.
Genre: Dark, F/M, Love Confessions, Romantic Fluff, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 06:02:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15503889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Itsuptomenow/pseuds/Itsuptomenow
Summary: Riley Spencer is recovering from her suicide attempt and coming to terms with her true feelings. How will this affect the people around her?





	What Does Your Heart Want?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, this is just going to be a one shot for now, although it is part of a bigger story I've had in my head for years. The short summary is Riley dated Robert Chase from the age 15 to 20 when she found out he cheated on her. She left Princeton for a few years before coming back and becoming romantically involved with Gregory House. They dated for a few years before House entered rehab. In rehab he cheats on Riley. This part of the story takes place a month after House was released. I hope you like it and please feel free to leave feedback <3

Riley was impossibly tired. The past week hadn’t been the most easy week. Just eight days ago she had tried to kill herself. Well, not really. She still hadn’t gotten over the fact that Greg had cheated on her. She was in a downward spiral and drinking heavily. She took things way too far. She had broken a bottle when James and her had gotten into a fight. After he left her apartment, she tried to carve “WASTE” into her forearm, but she cut too deep and she was too inebriated to help herself. Thankfully Robert showed up and took her to the Princeton Plainsboro.

The whole thing was a misunderstanding in her eyes, but the doctors had to put her on a 72 hour hold. One by one her friends visited her and attempted to get to the bottom of her "suicide attempt." She wasn’t in the mood for their pity. She refused to open up to them though. Finally at the end of the hold, James convinced Dr. Cuddy to let Riley go home with him. Unbeknownst to Riley, he was going to keep her under his watch for the following week.

Fast forward to present day, Riley was sitting in James' living room. He still wouldn’t let her go back to her apartment so she was stuck sleeping on his couch.

“Good morning, Riley.” James said as he entered the kitchen.

His over sized apartment had an open layout and the kitchen and living room were basically one.

“Good morning, Wilson.” She had always called him by his last name.

“Morning.” Another voice shortly followed.

“Coffee, House?” Wilson asked.

“Sure.” House replied.

Not only was Riley being forced to stay with her friend, but she was being forced to endure her cheating ex. Unfortunately for her the two of them were roommates. House had just gotten out of rehab a little more than a month before and Wilson had a bad habit of collecting strays.

Riley made her way to the kitchen to grab her second cup of coffee. She hadn’t been sleeping much so she was attempting to fuel her body with caffeine.

“Are you hungry?” Wilson asked her.

“No, I’m fine.”

Wilson gave her a stern look before letting it go. Riley had been struggling with eating properly, but she knew Wilson wouldn’t be in the mood to fight with her this early in the day.

House finished his coffee and made his way back to his bedroom to change for work.

“Isn’t it a bit late for you to still be here?” Riley asked Wilson.

“You know I still don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone.”

“How many times do I have to tell you? I wasn’t trying to kill myself. If I had been I would have gotten it right.”

“Don’t talk like that.” Wilson set his mug on the counter and turned to her, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Riley rolled her eyes.

“I know you’re concerned or whatever, but I’m not a child.”

“Then maybe don’t act like one.” House said as he reentered the room.

“House. Don’t.” Wilson said in a stiff voice.

House finished pulling on his blazer, shot the two of them a condescending smile before limping out of the apartment.

Riley realized she had been holding her breath and she slowly let it out.

“I’m sorry, you know how he is.”

“It’s not your job to apologize for him, Wilson. I’m the idiot that was wound up dating him.”

She sighed and looked down at her hands. Her left arm was still bandaged.

“Why don’t we take that dressing off.” Wilson came around to her side.

He gently grabbed her wrist and began unwrapping the gauze.

“I’m sorry I’ve been so defiantly this week.” Riley said quietly.

“It’s okay. I can’t imagine it’s been an easy time for you.”

“I meant what I said before though, I wasn’t trying to kill myself. I just,” She paused and looked up at him, “I was drunk and sad and I made a dumb mistake.”

He finished pulling the gauze off and began to examine her wounds.

“I know, I believe you.”

He softly began to trace the outline of her healing cuts with his fingers.

“It looks like it’s healing nicely. I think you can leave it uncovered for a while.”

He released her arm and stepped back.

“You know, after our fight, I felt awful about the things I said.”

“I do, too. But we were both angry and we both said things we didn’t mean.” She looked down at her injured arm and rubbed it with her other hand.

“I know, but then when Robert called us and said he was rushing you to the hospital, well...I was afraid I would lose you.”

“Wilson...”

“I know, I know. I’ll stop.”

He made his way back to the coffee pot and poured himself another cup.

“Do you remember the night you came to me, after you had left Robert?”

“Of course I do.” She said turning towards him.

He stared down into his mug for a moment.

“Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know. I just think about it a lot.” He looked back up at her.

“What about it?”

Riley could see the question made him uneasy.

“I don’t know, I guess sometimes I just wonder what it would have been like if things would have gone differently.”

“Wilson, I had just left Robert. It was a confusing night.”

He let out a sigh.

“I know. I just hate that that’s all it’ll ever be. A confusing night that meant nothing.”

And without warning she closed the distance between them and slapped him hard across the face. The impact caused him to temporarily lose his balance and coffee from his mug split onto the floor. His free hand instantly came up to his beet red cheek.

“What the hell, Riley!” Shock and anger filled his voice.

“How DARE YOU!” She shouted.

She could feel the anger rising inside of her as she furrowed her brow.

Wilson was taken aback. He rubbed his cheek for a moment and set his mug down.

“I don’t understand what’s going on.”

“Don’t you EVER say that night meant nothing! It meant EVERYTHING to me, James Wilson.”

He stood there staring at her wide eyed. She never used his first name. It was then he realized what was really going on.

“Riley?” He felt his voice crack.

And then she couldn’t contain herself any longer; She let everything pour out of her.

“I have always loved you, James. From day one. I was too young back then, but I just knew. And when things ended with Robert I knew I was in no position to be with you, that’s why I left.”

These words hit him hard. He had always been fond of her, but always too afraid to tell her. He cherished their friendship and didn't want to jeopardize it.

“What about House?” He finally managed to ask.

“I don’t know. That wasn’t planned. I thought he was a snarky asshole and for some reason I saw it as a challenge. Don’t get me wrong, I loved him, but not how I loved you. James...”

Tears began to roll down her cheeks.

He closed the distance between them, placing both his hands on her cheeks and pulled her into a kiss. She instantly reciprocated. Her lips were soft and warm against his. He parted his lips and allowed her tongue to playfully flick against his. She grabbed the front of his shirt with both her hands and pulled him close. His thumb gently caressed her cheek as his other hand made it’s way down to her waist.

After a moment they finally parted. Wilson leaned his forehead down against hers.

“I love you, Riley Spencer.”

“I love you, too, James Wilson.”

She chuckled through her tears. He kissed each of her cheeks before wiping the tears away with his thumbs.

“Perhaps we should hold off on telling anyone about this.”

“Why do you say that?” Wilson stepped back, his hands grasping her waist lightly.

She looked up into his eyes, and after a moment, a look of realization played across his face.

“House.” They said in unison.

They both started to laugh.

“Okay, we’ll figure this out.” He pulled her close against his chest.

For the first time, in a long time, Riley felt truly happy.


End file.
